


Master of The Elements

by Capbookie



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: A study in the elements, Air Nomads (Avatar), Airbending & Airbenders, Art, Bending (Avatar), Character Study, Cultural Differences, Culture, Earth Kingdom (Avatar), Earthbending & Earthbenders, Fire Nation (Avatar), Firebending & Firebenders, Food, Gen, How Do I Tag, It's 3 am, Sculpture, Spirits, Water Tribe(s) (Avatar), Waterbending & Waterbenders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:40:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28358691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Capbookie/pseuds/Capbookie
Summary: Air is all around us.Water is in every living thing.The Earth is under usFire is inside of us.The Avatar is all of us.(A study in bending, the elements and their respective cultural differences and traditions + the avatar's role as the master of all four elements)
Relationships: Air Nomads & Fire nation & Earth kingdom & Water Tribes, Avatars & the four nations
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Master of The Elements

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like my writing style changed a bit mid writing (makes sense because I took a couple of days off during the process), and I think I like the Earth and the Fire more than the water and air parts, but idk
> 
> Anywho, I hope u enjoy the read, because I know I had a blast writing this :D

Air is all around us.

It's essential to all humans, all lives, because we all need air to stay alive.

That's why the Airbenders were dangerous. They had the ability to snuff out a person's life- in less than half a minute (because air is as necessary as breathing. Because _it is_ breath).

Air can be both the gentlest breeze, and an untamable tornado.

It can blow the hair out of your face and it can knock down trees.

Like the air, the airbenders don't lack the ability nor the talent.

But, they _can make_ a choice.

The Airbenders chose the breeze.

They chose a peaceful life, and became level-headed monks and nomads.

They adapted to the mellow, calm way of living quicky (changing course and going with the flow- just as well as the wind itself), and they decided to take on a new issue.

The meat issue.

The elders have seen a lot of fighting during the war back in their days, a lot of violence and death. 

The violence wasn't aimed solely at humans. 

Animals suffered as well.

The counsel has made a decision.

From now on, the Air Nomads would follow a vegetarian diet, rescue animals and release them into the wild.

They deserve Freedom too.

The ways of the Air Nomads remained the same for many years after that.

The airbenders had a strong connection with the spirit world, and the spirits took a liking to them.

They came to visit during the solstices, milling about and making friends.

The Air Nomads loved the spirits (they, too, sought out harmony) and they made sure to pay their respects, to keep good relations with them, to be their allies, and companions.

_(The spirits' connection to the Air Nomads was always helpful when an air Avatar came to be.)_

A considerable portion of the animals they rescued has chosen to stay by the airbenders' side -the Bison specifically were very dedicated and in tune with the airbenders (they _were_ the original airbenders, after all).

The Air Nomads led a peaceful life at their temples.

Placed on all four corners of the Earth, sky-high and secure- the temples were a sight to behold.

Full of winding paths, spiraling towers, echoing halls that are filled to the brim with History.

The land itself was well watered and full of life. Plants and gardens thrived under the Air Nomads' care, and the animals enjoyed the gardens as well as the open space.

The air Bison were flying around the highest watchtower, the babies playing catch while circling around the structure.

The sun shone over the scene, washing the temple in a golden light.

The clouds gathered closely around the top of the mountain, giving the residents an illusion of flight.

It was a safe haven.

The airbenders traveled a lot (they _are_ nomads,) and they found enlightenment and inspiration while wandering the earth.

They learned about the other nations, about the other elements- they liked understanding others, exploring different cultures and traditions.

Some of the things they learned during their travels, they adopted into their own life.

May it be by taking home some paints and colors from the water tribes, musical instruments from the fire nation, or the plant based options from the Earth kingdom's menu.

Eating healthy and constantly moving, flying and messing around, the Air Nomads were in great physical shape and had a clear mind.

People from the other nations come to them for assistance, whether it's an injured animal or an ill person the Air Nomads are always happy to help.

They've grown a lot of herbs over the years, and have learned to use them correctly, they studied them, they found out which herb can help with stomachaches when combined with another, and which herb can cure the flu.

The air temples became an international medical centre of sorts.

All of the temples were well-verses in the arts of healing, but only the eastern and western air temples had hospitals

(The waterbenders have the south and the north under control).

Even if the problem isn't a physical one, they're still able to help, using meditation, self exploration and Psychology sessions, the Air Nomads will help anyone get back on track (or find a new one).

The psychologists leading the sessions were trained and sworn to secrecy. 

They spent the session talking with people from all over the world about their personal issues and insecurities.

In extreme cases, they'll send a spiritually powerful airbender to the spirit world, to seek the help of the spirits.

The Air Nomads dedicated their lives to helping others.

They had peaceful lives.

They meditated, played with the spirits, with the Bison, cured illnesses, they tasted and saw and experienced everything the other nations have to offer.

All was well.

But then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked.

* * *

Water can be found in every living thing.

There's always water nearby, be it a small stream trapped between boulders, or the vast, unexplored ocean.

Whether it's in the ground or in your veins.

Water is everywhere-

That's why waterbenders are powerful.

They have unrestricted access to their element, (excluding the desert, the desert is a whole 'nother story) And said element is bendable, not only by bending.

There are other aspects to waterbending, some of them darker than others.

Healing is a skill developed by waterbenders and used by all four nations.

The tribes are well-known for their healing abilities and they get a lot of visitors and patients at their doorstep.

The people coming, mostly do so as a last resort, (the poles are somewhat hard to access) and the healers do their best to help.

Healing is an incredible ability, and many consider it a blessing.

There's also bloodbending.

It's rare, and there isn't a lot of information about it.

They don't want to test it. They don't want to use it.

Some things shouldn't be bent.

(There have been attempts over the years, waterbenders facing the counsel and announcing they can use bloodbending to _heal_ , sealing wounds and stopping bloodloss. It's a controversial topic, but it's widely agreed upon to try and make the ability fade away from history. They stopped talking about it, and bloodbending went unmentioned for a few centuries. The general opinion on the subject didn't change too much over the years.)

Change is the Water's natural inclination.

Water has the ability to adapt to difficulties and challenges easily and effectively, and that trait is mirrored in the waterbenders. 

They switch direction in a moment's notice, changing course with ease.

Icing their enemies or leaving them breathless at sea, they have a variety of abilities, and a wide range of motion.

The water (interchanging, constantly moving) is reflected in the culture.

The art is a whirlwind, and there are so many different styles, so many arts.

The dancers move gracefully, their movements are fluid, their steps balanced.

There are a lot of different dancing styles as well; 

There's balldancing- the formal way of dancing usually done in big, often political, events.

There's ballet, an art all on its own, ballet dancers push themselves, and their bodies to the extremes, they're light on their feet, always stretching, and jumping and reaching for the sky.

Ballet is considered to be a more "serious and professional" dancing style by most.

And there's folk-dancing, of course, the tribes' pride and joy, folk-dances are well known in both the southern and the northern pole, the dance is a symbol of unity, a symbol of solidarity.

_(A lake and a river are not the same, but they are both made of water)_

The Traditional artists come in many shapes and forms, some of them draw the landscape in magnificent detail, some paint the blank canvas and fill it with themselves, their feelings, their thoughts.

Some of the artists do portraits, to make the house seem a little more inviting (and to honour the deceased).

They all share a passion, and are capable of adjusting the painting to their purposes.

The watertribes' music is one of a kind.

Although they don't make as many musical instruments as the fire nation does, they're still a musical group.

The slow, dramatic, classical music accompanies ballet-dancing, combining the two in pleasing, enticing ways.

The bouncy music style the tribes are famous for, is the tribal style.

Filled with drums, beats, sharp sounds and drawn out voices, the tribes' music is unique to their culture.

Ice sculpting is an art done _only_ in the water tribes. 

Whether they use bending or chisels, rollers and determination, ice sculpting is widely popular in the poles.

They have ice sculpting contests,

The first one is held a week after the winter solstice.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the first contest, and the five highest scorers from each pole compete against each other in the second contest.

There are two stages in the competition:

At the first one, the local contestors are presented with a finished sculpture. They have a minute to study it and then they're off.

The second stage is Freestyle,

The participants make their own unique, personal sculpture, using their bending and tools to create the perfect piece of ice.

The competitors are given a 1-10 score for each stage by the judges (the judges are often the leaders of the tribes and more often than not, last year's winner).

The final score is the average between the scores given to the two sculptures each artist made.

The second competition is hosted by a different tribe every year, the week after the summer solstice.

The contest itself works just like the first one, except the second contest has a far larger audience. It's a big event and waterbenders arrive from all over the map.

The winner of the final contest gets a sack of gold coins (and respect) and the highest scoring contenders for each tribe get to make the example sculptures the following year.

The entire shebang is accompanied by the Ice festival.

The Ice festival is a massive party full of stands that sell food, art and clothes, there's dancing and music and drinks and everything comes alive under the light of the stars.

The water tribes' people are easy-going, determined, adaptable, artistic and creative.

And they're always creating more, always updating, always changing.

_Just like water_

* * *

The Earth is under us.

It's our base, our ground.

It's a stepping stone, it provides us all with a base, for plants to grow on, for homes to be built upon, for tunnels to be dug in - for life to be made.

The Earth is necessary, for development and growth.

For fresh starts and new lives

For dead bodies and graves.

We need the Earth, and we stand on the ground, until we can't _(until the end)_.

It's stable and it's prospering and it's full of life, full of everything.

Earthbenders are much the same.

They're strong and stable, they're people you can count on, no matter how rough it gets.

They're stubborn.

To bend the earth itself, they have to push and push and push without ever backing away or giving up.

Their willpower and mental strength are remarkable.

They are persistent and enduring and they'll take whatever you can throw at them.

The Earth kingdom's people are diverse -much like the different types of earth that they bend.

The sandbenders are survivalists.

They invented and developed an entirely new way of bending.

The sand is dusty and flowing, and it flies away with the guidance of the most gentle draft.

Sandbenders need to have a strong enough will to keep the sand in place, or it'll all fall right through their fingers, slipping away, just beyond their grip.

The sandbenders adapted to the desert, to this hostile environment, and they lived long enough to become its masters.

Lavabenders are level-headed.

Lava is dangerous. 

It's scorching hot, and thick and it flows and flows and leaves a path of destruction in its awake.

In order to control it, lavabenders must be careful and collected, because if they let loose, if they let their guard down for even for a second, they would be overwhelmed by the heat, by the pain _(it's not a nice way to go)_.

Lava is dangerous, so the lavabenders need to be cool and calm, to balance out the heat of the lava.

_(To stay alive)_

Metalbenders are the human embodiment of strength.

They bend the unbendable, using an ability that was considered impossible for decades.

The metal only bends to the strongest.

It only bows down to those who beat it in the clash of will, of power.

Metalbenders are stubborn, they stand their ground and they stay true to themselves.

They're relentless and determined and they never back down from a challenge.

They never give up.

All of those qualities make the Earth kingdom a force to be reckoned with.

Its people come in all shapes, sizes, genders and skin colours.

They're not all alike, and they don't always get along, but they're united.

Together we stand, divided we fall.

The Earth kingdom figured it out early on.

_(Unity is strength, unity is a powerful tool- Kuvira certainly thought so)_

Unlike the Air Nomads, the earthbenders aren't tourists of the month.

Like dirt- they settle down, build themselves up, putting safety first, making sure stability is ensured.

( _Some of them build walls)_

Because of the enormous land the Earth kingdom's built on, there are a lot of cultural differences between regions.

The food, specifically.

The east coast of the Earth kingdom favours spice.

Their food is full of taste, and the spice market is thriving.

There's Hummus, a perfect addition to bread and carbs, widely popular and loved.

Tabbouleh is a refreshing side dish full of bold flavor, oftentimes served next to Shawarma- another local delight, slow-roasted meat joined with a blend of spices that mingles with the smoky and meaty flavor, accompanied by some veggies and sauce and wrapped up in a laffa, the Shawarma is a bundle of joy.

Another local flavor is bourekas-

Pastries that are often filled with cheese, spinach or meat (some variations include all three).

The southern coast shares the easterns' love for spice, but the thing it's truly famous for is stir-fried food.

Whether it's noodles or vegetables, rice, chicken or even mushrooms- the southerns absolutely adore stir-fry.

They sprinkle spice into it, to add a little flavor, some sugar and maybe a cup of tea and they're ready to go.

Stir-fried noodles are a common choise among the younger age groups, but the people of the south like experimentation and are always happy to try new food and dishes.

The western Earth kingdom is especially fond of soups.

The go-to meal is a bowl of steaming split pea soup, filled with potatoes, carrots, and chunks of ham. 

A piece of bread or crackers and a salad are usually added to the soup and add a special touch.

Gulash is also a popular soup among the westerns, it's a long, slow cooking that does the charm, and this soup is mostly eaten as a main course with some rye bread as a side dish.

They serve a variety of soups at the western Earth kingdom and the proper equipment for soup-making is guaranteed to be found at every house.

The northern Earth kingdom's food is unique.

It consists a lot of wheat, olive oil, wine, fish, and meat.

The Northern cuisine is a healthy one- it includes a wide variety of vegetables and grains.

An extremely well-liked dish is the gyro Vertically roasted pieces of meat are placed in a pita with various taste enhancers including sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, sauce and potato chips.

A local desert is the Bougatsa, a sweet pie made of phyllo pastry. 

Often sprinkled with powder sugar and cinnamon, the Bougatsa is a true culinary delight.

The northern cuisine is a worldwide sensation, people coming from all nations to experience it.

And they take it back home with them.

Ba Sing Se is a culinary centre.

Filled with fugitives from all over the world, they've brought parts and pieces of their cultures with them.

Ba Sing Se is a cultural melting pot, Hidden from the world, a true fortress, the city's great wall is a safety measure that has proven itself time and time again.

Ba Sing Se represents the essence of the Earth nation.

Stable, diverse, enduring and strong.

* * *

Fire is inside of us.

It's the beat of our hearts, the warmth of our breath.

It's a source of heat, of energy.

It's passion, determination and ambition.

It's also a potential danger, and it's unstable.

To avoid accidents or burns, firebenders must be careful and prepared, for their goal is to tame the fire - a living organism, always growing, always spreading- and bend it to their will.

Firebenders are achievement oriented, they set a target and they do their best to reach it.

Lightning-benders are cool under fire, sharp, clever and their accuracy is unmatched.

They're strategic, planning ahead and setting up their success.

Firebending gives the fire nation an easier way to work with metal.

They melt it quickly and some of them possess the rare skill to suck the heat out and cool the metal back down.

They make warships, swords, armour and weapons.

But their highest selling metal made products are musical instruments.

Like the flame, with its constant beating, and ups and downs, the firebenders have an innate talent to sing and play different instruments.

Orchestras are considered to be the ideal entertainment, and are a social settings for quite a few hang-outs and meetings.

Going hand in hand with the musical abilities of the fire nation, there's an incline for the Theatrics.

The fire nation is filled with talented actors and writers, there is a theater school in the capital, and there are private lessons being offered by the actors and players- both in the acting department and in the musical department.

One of the most famous plays in the fire nation is **Love Amongst The Dragons:**

_The play is about the Dragon Emperor, whose bound to a mortal form by a Dark Water Spirit, and is forced to hide under the alias of Noren._

_While posing as Noren, the Dragon Emperor falls in love with a mortal, and eventually he manages to break free of his curse because of his love._

Another successful play is **Fire Ashes and Tears** -

 _It tells the story of a young firebending avatar traveling around the world and mastering the elements. During_ _his travels he finds his way to a cave, where he discovers the last Phoenix._

_The Phoenix is weak, it has been struck by illness many years ago, and its life is close to an end._

_The Avatar journeys to the spirit world, seeking help and guidance._

_He comes across Wa Shen, the spirit of health and wellbeing, and begs for her to assistant him in curing the Phoenix. Wa_ _Shen tries to help, but it's not a sickness the Phoenix is suffering from, it's a curse._

_The Avatar continues his search and after many failed attempts he finds the answer._

_He returns to the material world, and he makes an exchange._ _His life for the curse to be lifted, for the Phoenix to be free._

_He transfers his energy to the Phoenix, losing consciousness rapidly, with his eyes growing dim and his heartbeat slowing, he lays his head down to rest._

_But the stories turn out to be true, because the next moment, his eyes are open, and he's staring into the bright golden eyes of the Phoenix, its tears shining silver with the light of the moon._

_The Phoenix and the Avatar becomes lifelong friends, and when their time comes, they go together, leaving only ashes in their place._

The fire nation is full of hall and auditoriums for the plays to be displayed at.

The tickets are sold out quickly, fights sometimes break out about the seats and deals are made. It's a well-known fact that the best seats are those at the front, closest to the royal chairs and the band.

The auditoriums showcases classical plays and orchestras in the evening, and bands and concerts in the night.

_The city truly comes alive at night._

The fire nation market is a popular tourist attraction.

Filled with souvenirs and trinkets from every nation, the market offers a large selection of products.

There are herbs and kites from the western air temple, some old ornate vases from the eastern temple. Sculpting tools and ballet shoes from the north pole, drums and furs from the southern pole. There are a few golden pieces that came straight from the Earth Queen's palace, and enough restaurants to feed a legion.

The location of the fire nation's port allows for many trades and deals, and because of their closeness to the southern water tribe, western air temple and to the western coast of the Earth kingdom, they have access to all kinds of merchandise and goods.

The fire nation military is one of the best in the world and the army is a well-oiled, well-trained, fighting machine.

The people of the fire nation often aim high, and that attitude doesn't change when it comes to the army.

They want to be generals, lieutenants, captains- they want to have control and they want to be able to influence the war efforts, they all aim high.

_They do like their achievements,_

_(Fire often burns bright, but every fire goes out eventually)_

Firebending tournaments are also a common way to spend time at the fire nation. Teams from all cities and villages of the fire nation get together to compete. 

Gambling on the matches is also a common custom.

The summer parade is the biggest event of the year.

It's filled with lights- in all kinds of color- from a cold blue to a sunny yellow, the lights and fires are showcased in performances, and the band that gets to play background music is automatically leading in the events planners' list.

The fireworks start after the tenth star shines in the sky, and they're a sight for sore eyes.

They come in all shapes and colors, moved around by firebenders and masterfully bent into art.

The fireworks-made dragon is a favourite of the city of Caldera, its body the length of the wall of Ba Sing Se, and its heat equals to that of the sun.

The Dragon flies- higher and higher- until it disappears from sight.

The festives stopped when Firelord Sozin came to power. The lights dimmed and the dragons went extinct.

But maybe they're all out there somewhere, all of the dragons from years and years of parades, still flying, still reaching up.

_They're ambitious and determined, just like the firebenders_

* * *

The Avatar is all of us.

The Avatar is connected to the world, and the avatar's job is to serve it.

The avatars have to learn and understand all four nations.

And the they do exactly that, time and time again- lifetime after lifetime.

But it isn't something you're born with. It's not an innate ability.

It's a kind of maturity and development only the avatar is _destined_ to go through.

The Avatars start with a certain element, a certain mindset.

But in order to master all four elements, the Avatar must learn to think and fight like all kinds of benders, from all of the nations.

This training, this grilling, drilling and tiring training results in a shift in the Avatar's personality.

 _And a fully realised Avatar is a balanced one_.

Avatar Yangchen needed to learn to put others first, for her duty as the Avatar is to the world, and not only the material one. She neglected her role as the avatar in regards to the spirit world, and while she was a great Avatar when it came to bending and peacemaking, the spirits weren't as pleased with her as the four nations were.

Avatar Kuruk had to learn about duty and actions.

Unfortunately, his way of learning wasn't very nice.

He learned his lesson, and he made sure not to repeat the mistakes he had made during the rest of his short life.

Avatar Kyoshi struggled to manipulate earth and lacked precision and accuracy with her bending.

However, while training with the Flying Opera Company, she improved her control over earth. 

She became stronger and more persistent.

She had a very strong sense of justice, and she wasn't afraid to reinforce it.

Avatar Roku didn't have a problem learning bending, nor did he fail to maintain the connection between the physical world and the spirit world.

Avatar Roku aimply forgot he was supposed to put the world first. before _any_ personal attachments.

His wrongdoing had grave consequences.

Avatar Aang wasn't assertive enough.

And it was obvious during his earthbending training.

He learned to face things head-on with the help of his earthbending sifu and friends.

He had a heavy burden on his shoulders, he lost his family, his entire culture.

His way of respecting them was to continue and follow the Air Nomads' believes.

He had a strict no-killing policy and he managed to end the 100 years war peacefully.

He did a lot of good during his Lifetime.

And he left big shoes to fill.

Avatar Korra wasn't a spiritual person.

Her lack of connection to the spirit world stemmed from her airbending block.

She faced many enemies, and she didn't always get to walk away unharmed.

She learned from both hers, and her opponents' past mistakes and became a better Avatar and a better person.

She brought back the Air nation, opened the spirit portals and strengthened the the spiritual connection of the material world.

Because of her, humans -benders and non-benders- lived in peace with the spirits. Like they were meant to.

She also turned out to be a talented airbender.

The Avatar is air, water, earth and fire all trapped in a mortal body with a human soul, and with the help of Raava- the ancient light spirit- the avatar restores balance and maintains peace.

But all four nations should strive for balance.

They can all learn from eachother, embrace their differences and adopt habits and principles.

They're capable of living together in harmony, in tune with each element and respectful towards all opinions, all perceptives.

The Avatar is the blueprint for the solution.

And the world learned from the Avatar, and built a future based on balance.

It started with Republic city.

A city the Avatar himself built and resided in, Republic city grew to become the center of the world, both in location and culture.

The hospitals in Republic city are top-notch, and the delicious food the city has is well-known for its diversity.

The city's cultural centre flourishes in the nighttime, with shows, plays and concerts (and occasionally, the ballet company arrives in town and puts up a show as well).

The city has been through a lot, but it's enduring and stable. Republic city can survive everything.

And with the Avatar _(master of the elements)_ right next door, the citizens are as safe as can be.

The world desperately needs that balance, that calm and joyful way of life, that Republic city owns.

But the world is still a work in progress, and the four nations will take their sweet time before they'll be truly untied, but they're getting closer to that seemingly unrealistic goal.

The trick is to understand all of the elements.

The Avatar already knows it.

The rest of the world will too.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah...sooo... honestly? I don't remember my original plan for this fic but I'm ok with the end result and I think it turned out quite nicely.
> 
> Most of the writing was done at like 2 or 3 am so if there are any grammar mistakes or typos pls let me know (also, English isn't my first language so it's very likely that there are mistakes)
> 
> In case my love for middle-eastern food wasn't clear, I'd just like to recommend it to u guys because it is absolutely 👌
> 
> Also the title and a line in the Earth part are both references to  
> https://youtu.be/zVI5onqc8m0  
> (Master of the elements ft. rustage, shwabadi )  
> It's really good and the creators are so talented u should definitely listen to it
> 
> My writing was a bit inconsistent but I'm really happy with the second half of the fic, so pls let me know in the comments what you think or leave a kudos, and have a lovely day darlings xD


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